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TRANSFORMING ART INTO JUSTICE STORY BY
Skylar Burks and Liz Campbell Co-founders of Atlanta Theatre Artists for Justice
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ast summer, George Floyd’s death as a result of police brutality sparked a racial reckoning that ignited a movement across the country. Atlanta, being the heart of the Civil Rights Movement, took on another major role in this new movement with organized protests and marches.
Before I had the idea to start Atlanta Theatre Artists for Justice (ATAJ), I will never forget the feeling of utter hopelessness. I sat in my room and cried, convinced that there was nothing that I could do as just one person with a degree in theater. I woke up the next day and scrolled through Facebook to see what protests were happening that day, inspired by all my friends and colleagues within our theater community that were determined to continue fighting for justice. I asked my friend Liz Campbell if it would be crazy to make a group just for theater artists who were attending the protests. She wholeheartedly supported it and agreed to help me run it. We started with basic information sharing locations of protests and meet-up points— and started to grow into a support system. Our Facebook group, which was supposed to be “only about 50 people,” quickly grew to hundreds in a matter of days. Members who were unable to protest in person due to health concerns during the pandemic were able to donate supplies for those who marched. At the height of the protests, we were distributing first aid, water and Gatorade, earplugs, masks, signs, and other supplies to grateful demonstrators throughout the metro Atlanta area. Our initial intent was to support and protect one another on the streets in dangerous and difficult times. What we found, however, was an emotional bond through shared experience, righteous anger, and a profound desire for justice.
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